Piperade Recipe

This is a traditional Basque recipe that is delicious on its own, slathered onto some bread or paired with ham from the region. It is easy to remember the main ingredients as they all represent a color from the Basque flag: tomatoes and peppers for red, onions for white and green peppers for the green.

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

3 large tomatoes, seeded and cut into rough 1-inch chunks

1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 medium green pepper, seeded and cut into rough 1/4-inch strips

1 medium red pepper, seeded and cut into rough 1/4-inch strips

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon piment d’espelette (or cayenne pepper)

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped

1 loaf of fresh crusty bread, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic, chopped and canned tomatoes, green and red peppers, salt, piment, sugar and vinegar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have broken down and the peppers are very soft, approximately 15-20 minutes.

Pour the beaten eggs into the pan and slowly stir until the eggs are cooked, but not lumpy, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.